Laura's Choice
by pineapple-dalek
Summary: Sam's odds of completing his current leap are falling with each passing hour. So Laura knows that it's time for her to leap. But how will her family & friends react when they had no idea she had been preparing for this moment for years? Will she be able to complete the leap? Or did she save Sam's life just to die in his place? OFC and most of the QL staff. 11yrs after Mirror Image
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my first Quantum Leap story and I'm so excited, especially since I have at least half a dozen stories planned for this series. I don't know what to call this series yet, so ideas are welcomed. This is my way of bringing Sam home but keeping the leaping stories going. Quantum Leap was like the first show that I really fell in love with, and I hope you guys go easy on me. I'm not a professional writer, but I have 7 stories for the Psych fandom posted, so my writing is slowly getting better. I would love a beta reader, but I'm too impatient for one.

DISCLAIMER: The main character is someone that I've made up so she belongs to me as well as a few minor characters. But, sadly, I'm not associated with QL in any way, shape, or form and therefore do not own anyone you recognize. Most of the plot ideas I came up with myself, so I apologize if it sounds like another plot line, I'm not trying to steal anything.

Alright, so details: I'm going with the facts that Sam first stepped into the accelerator in 1995; the episode "The Leap Back" happened in 1999; the trilogy episodes happened in 1999 project time; and that Mirror Image did happen, but then Sam kept leaping with Al's help. Basically, spoilers for the entire series and I will try to keep my facts straight.

I'm making Laura biracial, but there's no good point to address it, so I'm just going to say it here. She has a white, southern mother and black father from Chicago. Her father died when she was 6, so she has more of an southern accent. I'm from Ohio so please excuse me if Laura or her mother don't sound southern.

I am not an expert in any field, so if I get something wrong, please be nice. I try to do as much research as I can.

Alright, enough rambling. Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 1

May, 2010

"LAURA MARIE JACKSON! What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Laura sighed as the voice boomed through her living quarters. Throwing her robe on, she went out to meet her visitor. "Hey Mama."

"Don't you 'hey Mama' me!" Her mother growled as she got right in her daughter's face. "You better explain yourself right this instant or so help me, I will ground you for the next month!"

"You can't ground me Mama, I'm 21." Laura walked around her to sit on the sofa.

Not easily dissuaded, her mother stood in front of Laura and crossed her arms. "I can get you restricted access to the rest of the complex, especially if I let the Admiral know what you were planning. Now explain yourself!"

Sighing, Laura opened her robe to reveal the skin-tight Fermi suit. "Is there really much to explain? I'm going to leap."

"No! It's too dangerous, I won't let you!"

Standing up, Laura put her hands on her mother's shoulders. "You can't stop me. I've made my choice."

Shaking her head, her mother brushed back Laura's hair. "Why? You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"I made my choice 11 years ago mama."

"What?! You decided when you were 10? Why would you decide that at such a young age? Don't you see how much trouble and stress it causes the loved ones?"

"But Mama! I'm doing this for Dr. Beckett, Dr. Donna, Uncle Al, John." Shrugging her shoulders, Laura smiled. "And for you."

Her mother looked at her suspiciously, "Me? Why me?"

"Because I love you mama, I've had 21 wonderful years with you." Laura took her mother's hand and stared at the ring. "But I know what it's like to grow up without a father. You need to get to know yours before it's too late."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" She asked nervously.

Laura smiled. "I know all about Dr Beckett leaping into Grandma Abby's fiancé and Great Grandpa Clayton. I overheard Uncle Al discussing with Dr Verbena whether or not they should tell you after those three leaps 11 years ago. "

"And you kept that knowledge to yourself for all these years?"

"Well, I've discussed it with Ziggy, but no one else."

Sammy Jo crossed her arms and walked to the other side of the room. "I still don't think that you should leap. You don't know what it's like. It's dangerous for Sam, think of how much harder it'll be for you."

"I know the risks! I've been preparing for this for 11 years! I've been training both physically and mentally. I graduated from high school at 15 because I knew it would be easier to learn at college. Why do you think I took all those extra classes at school or why I never declared an official major at college until my 5th year! And I ended up with three degrees. I was determined to learn as much as I could. Mama, I can do this! Please believe in me!"

Sammy Jo finally turned around. "Can't you at least wait until this current leap is over? Sam's in a very serious situation and you leaping in might make it worse."

"But Mama, he's critically injured right now! He might not make it through this leap! I have to do it in the next 12 hours or Dr. Beckett's chances of survival will drop below 5%. Don't you understand? It's now or never."

Ziggy decided to chime in, "Excuse me Dr Fuller, Miss Jackson. Dr Beckett's chances of survival, if nothing changes, is currently at 16% and will fall below 10% within the next 6 hours."

Sammy Jo shook her head. "I don't care, Ziggy! I still don't want Laura to go!"

"Mama, stop thinking about me or you for one minute!" Laura sighed as she started pacing. "What about Dr. Donna? She hasn't seen Dr. Beckett since they conceived Johnny. And Johnny's almost 10 and all he knows about his father is what others have told him. Uncle Al is starting to have health problems, he already had a stress induced arrhythmia last year. Who can say how long until something else happens? Dr. Beckett's siblings and mother haven't seen him in over 15 years and Thelma Beckett ain't no spring chicken. I'm thinking about them. And maybe with him home, you guys can finally fix the retrieval program." Laura stop in front of her mother with tears in her eyes. "Please Mama, I'll do it with or without your blessing, but it'll make me feel better to know that you support me."

Sammy Jo studied Laura before pulling her into a tight embrace. When they finally pulled apart, Sammy Jo brushed the tears off her daughters face before speaking, "Ziggy?"

"Yes, Doctor Fuller?"

"Prep the accelerator chamber and set the coordinates." Seeing Laura's face light up, Sammy Jo smiled as she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Please come back to me, baby."

"I will Mama, I promise." Laura hugged her mother one more time before sprinting out the door.

Looking down at her ring, Sammy Jo whispered, "Oh Mike, look at what a strong, smart young women our little girl turned out to be. I wish that you were here to see it."

Drying her tears, Sammy Jo called, "Ziggy, please inform Al and Donna that they are needed in Control as well as the medics. And make sure that Verbena is monitoring the visitor."

"Of course, Doctor Fuller."

Twisting her wedding ring, Sammy Jo left her daughter's living quarters and made her way to the control room.

* * *

When she arrived, Laura was doing final adjustments with Tina and Ziggy. Taking a deep breath, Sammy Jo joined them, giving a nod at Tina's worried expression.

Once everything was ready, Laura stopped in front of the accelerator. Before she went inside, she looked at her mother one more time, giving her a smile. Blowing her daughter a kiss, Sammy Jo started up the accelerator as Laura stepped inside.

The lights dimmed briefly as the system started up, making a strange noise only heard 3 times in almost 20 years of operation.

As Tina was doing the countdown, Al and Donna finally appeared. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Al shouted as he surveyed the room.

"Activating," Sammy Jo simply said as she placed her hand on the console.

"Activating? Activating what?!" Ignoring Al, Sammy Jo continued to monitor the screens. "Who's leaping? Who the hell is stupid enough to leap?"

Closing her eyes, Sammy Jo felt three pairs of eyes land on her.

"Doctor Beckett's signal has been lost." Ziggy announced to the quiet room.

Looking at Al, Sammy Jo whispered, "Laura leaped," as a tear slipped down her face.

"What?" Al asked as Ziggy rang out, "A body has appeared in the accelerator chamber."

Watching them rush to the door, Sammy Jo backed up to a wall and slid down, letting her tears flow freely.


	2. Chapter 2

So, there's a bit of back-tracking and overlapping in this chapter, but hopefully no one gets confused.

Just so you know, Sammy Jo is 43 (born in 1967) and Laura is 21 (born in 1989). Laura is named after Abagail's mother and Marie the housekeeper.

* * *

CHAPTER 2

Al and Donna were in a meeting with several technicians, discussing which areas of the complex needed to be updated next. Ziggy interrupted them. "Excuse me, Admiral."

Sighing, Al took off his reading glasses. "Yes, Ziggy?"

"I was instructed by Dr. Fuller to inform you that your presence is required in the control room, as well as Dr Elesee-Beckett's."

Sharing a look with Donna, Al asked, "And may I ask why?"

"Yes you may, but I was also instructed by someone else not to tell you. It is very important and you should probably hurry."

"Excuse us gentlemen and ladies." Striding to the door, Al tried to ignore the weird feeling he suddenly got. "Is it Sam? Did something happen?"

"Yes and No."

"Cut the crap Ziggy. What does that mean?"

"It means that Doctor Beckett's condition is the same but might be changing very soon."

Stabbing the button for the elevator, Al looked over as Donna joined him. "And why is Donna being called down?"

"Why are humans so curious and impatient? If you would just come to the control room, you will see for yourself."

"Ziggy!" Al growled as the elevator doors opened. A strange beep from Ziggy made him look up. "What was that?"

"I am sorry Admiral, but my attention is needed elsewhere."

"But I thought you could perform a thousand tasks at once?"

"Over a trillion. But this conversation is, as you say, going in circles, and I was just trying to find a polite way to end it."

"Since when have you ever been polite?" Al grumbled as the elevator stopped at their floor. Getting no cheeky response, Al was about to comment when the lights dimmed briefly and a strange noise started to come from the control room. "Ziggy? What's going on?" Still getting no response, he walked as fast as he could for the control room, Donna beside him.

Entering Control, Al quickly surveyed the bright lights and loud noise. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Al shouted over Tina's countdown.

"Activating," They heard Sammy Jo say as she placed her hand on the console.

"Activating? Activating what?!" Not getting a response from Sammy Jo, Al turned to Tina as he noticed the hum of the accelerator. "Who's leaping? Who the hell is stupid enough to leap?"

Tina bit her lip and looked at Sammy Jo, whose eyes were closed. Al was about to march up to Sammy Jo when Donna put a hand on his arm, looking at Sammy Jo worriedly.

"Doctor Beckett's signal has been lost." Ziggy announced to the quiet room.

Sammy Jo finally looked at him and whispered, "Laura leaped," as a tear slipped down her face.

"What?" Al asked as Ziggy rang out, "A body has appeared in the accelerator chamber."

Feeling shocked over the news that young, bright Laura Jackson would do something so stupid; Al was beat to the accelerator door by the other two women. They stood transfixed in the doorway as the smoke slowly cleared.

Recognizing the body of his best friend, Al immediately rushed forward and fell on his sore knees. "Sam? Sammy buddy, is that you?" A soft, pain-filled groan met his ears.

Hesitating, Al reached a hand to brush Sam's unruly hair off his forehead, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt with solid flesh. "Oh god, it is you! Sam? Can you open your eyes?"

There was whispering at the doorway before a set of heels slowly came up behind him. "Sam? Please can you open your eyes honey?" Donna whispered as she knelt on Sam's other side.

Slowly, Sam blinked as he looked around, groaning at the brightness. Locking eyes with Al, he asked, "What happened? I thought there was more to do on that leap."

Stifling his laughter, Al smiled, "There is kid, but for someone else. You're home now."

"Home?" Sam wrinkled his brow a moment before he saw Donna. "Donna?"

"Hey Sam!" She choked out as she silently cried.

"But how?" Sam asked as he shakily lifted a hand and poked Al in the chest.

"I'll explain later, buddy." Seeing the medics standing by the door, Al squeezed Sam's hand. "But for now, just know that you are finally home and 15 years is a lot to catch up on."

"15 years?" Sam questioned before he screwed his eyes shut in pain and clutched his head with both hands, a moan escaping from him.

"Sam? What's wrong?" Al shook Sam's shoulder before looking at the medics. "Well don't just stand around, get over here!"

Before they reached him, Sam had gone completely limp. After checking his breathing and heart rate, the medics said that he passed out. Giving them room to put Sam on a gurney, Al went out into the control room to find out exactly what happened.

* * *

By the time Donna entered the accelerator and Tina went to fetch the medics waiting in the hall, Sammy Jo had finally noticed that her wrist com was beeping. Wiping her eyes, she answered, "Yes?"

"Sammy Jo?" Verbena's voice came across slightly hushed.

"Yeah Bena?"

"How are things in control?"

"Things seem alright. The, the leap seems to have been a success, except we haven't gotten a lock on Laura yet."

"So Sam is back?"

"Yeah. Al and Donna are with him right now." Taking a deep breath, Sammy Jo stood up. "How's the visitor?"

"Sedated after he freaked out from the change in his reflection." There was a slight pause before she asked, "How are you?"

Checking the screens when Ziggy beeped, Sammy Jo shrugged, "I haven't decided yet. I understand why she did it, but it hurts that she didn't tell me sooner."

"If you need to talk, you know where to find me."

Seeing Al exit the accelerator, Sammy Jo smiled at his worried expression. "Thanks Bena. I'll see you later." Clicking off her wrist com, she grabbed the handlink. "Al, Ziggy finally got a lock on Laura and thinks that you should go check on her."

Taking the handlink, Al circled the console and pulled Sammy Jo into a hug. "I know it's got to hurt, but I want to thank you for helping bring Sam home."

Smiling, she hugged back, "I didn't really have a choice. Laura said she was leaping either way, I just made it easier on her."

Nodding, Al pulled back. "She's stubborn like Sam."

"And Mike."

"We will get her back, okay?"

"Okay." Turning back to the console, she checked the readings. "It doesn't look like we changed much. Except that her chances of survival are much higher than Sam's, but still barely breaking 70%."

Watching the medics and Donna wheel Sam past, Al took some deep breaths before calling out, "Activate the imaging chamber."

"Activating imaging chamber for October 4th, 1996 in Wood-Tikchik State Park, Alaska." Ziggy announced as Sammy Jo pressed the correct buttons.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry this took so long but there's a lot of drama going on in my life right now and I don't have a lot of down time to work on my fanfics :( Anyways, I'll try to post at least 3 times a month, hopefully once a week.

Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 3

Laura shivered as she slowly woke up. Curling into more of a ball, she called out, "Ziggy? Can you turn the heat up, please?" Getting no response, not even a small beep to indicate that her request was received, she tried again. "Ziggy, please? This isn't funny!"

Resigned to the fact that Ziggy, for whatever reason, was ignoring her, Laura reached out a hand to grab the blanket that she usually kicked to the side while she slept; only to find bunches of pine needles and a cold hard floor instead. "What the…"

Laura's eyes snapped opened and she looked around the dark, small, cave-like area. "Oh my god," she whispered as she sat up, hitting her head on the low ceiling. "Ow! What a horrible way to start a leap. A leap? Oh my god, I did it!" She squealed happily.

"Yeah you did it," Laura turned to find Al squatting near the entrance of the cave, his image flickering. "And you're going to be in so much trouble when you get back to the project! Possible criminal charges if the nozzles in Washington ever get wind of what you did."

"Hi Uncle Al!" Laura smiled.

"You remember me?" Al asked as his image continued to waver.

"Yeah, you've been like a father to me since my own dad died when I was 6. I remember almost everything!"

"Really? Well, lucky you."

"More like brilliant me," Laura mumbled as she tried to get somewhat comfortable.

"What did you say?" Al asked suspiciously. When she didn't respond, only looked down guiltily, he asked, "Laura Jackson, you tell me right this second what you've done!"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"I'm already mad at you for going behind my back and leaping without permission!"

"Fine." She shrugged as she played with her sleeves, still not looking at him. "Well, you know how for the past few summers, I've been interning at the project?"

"Yeah, mostly helping Tina replace some of the outdated parts and helping Bena in the waiting room."

"Well, in my free time, I kind of… edited-programs-and-added-some-new-ones." She said in a rush and braced herself.

"What?! I'm sorry, it must be our connection, but I could have sworn that you just said that you were messing with the programs!" Laura nodded. "Are you nuts?!" Al stood up angrily and paced, ignoring the fact that his upper body was in the rock wall. "What if something went wrong and we lost track of Sam?! He could have been killed countless times if I wasn't there to back him up. We could have lost him forever and it would have been your fault!"

"NO!" Laura practically shouted as she finally looked up at him. "That never would have happened because I never did it while he was in the middle of a leap, only in the time between."

"And how the hell did you even know if it was going to work?" Al asked as he bent over slightly to look at her.

"I had Ziggy triple check everything I did. I even had a guy online check my calculations…."

"You risked the security of this project by asking for outside help?! Do you know what would have happened if this guy tried to break in or sent you corrupted files?"

"No, he wouldn't have done it! Ziggy and I took a million precautions; made him think that I was just a graduate student in the DC area, working on my thesis project. We created an entirely different identity, including filing a fake birth certificate. Ziggy even monitors the guy's computers to make sure that he doesn't try and find me."

"Forget Washington, I'm going to bring you up on charges myself!" Al looked at the handlink when it beeped before yelling at it, "Yes, I know that my blood pressure's up! … No I will not calm down! … I'm not having this conversation with you right now!"

"Uncle Al, I'm so sorry! I was just thinking of Dr. Beckett and everyone who misses him." Laura cried.

Al took a deep breath as he looked down at the ground. "That still doesn't completely excuse your behavior." Pressing a button on the handlink, Al stepped towards the imaging door.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't leave me here by myself!"

"I have to check on my best friend and you need to get some sleep. You have a long leap ahead of you. I'll be back in a few hours to fill you in." With that, Al stepped through the door and vanished.

Laura laid down on her side as her whole body was racked with sobs.

* * *

Coming out of the imaging chamber, Al growled, "Ziggy, power it down. It'll probably be at least a couple of hours before I go back. I also have to think of what to do about your insubordinate behavior in all of this."

"Yes, sir." Came Ziggy's sharp replied.

Sighing, Al turned and looked at Sammy Jo, who seemed to be trying to kill him with her eyes. After a few seconds, Sammy Jo asked, "Tina? Can you give us a few minutes alone?"

"Of course. I need to ask Dr. Beeks some questions." Tina replied as she hastily made her exit.

Once the door closed behind Tina, Sammy Jo growled, "How dare you."

"Sammy Jo…." Al sighed, only to have her round the console and slap him.

"How dare you yell at her like that, she's only a child!"

"She's 21, more than old enough to take responsibility for her actions."

"Do you have any idea what she's going through? She's just lost contact with everyone she's ever cared about except the one man she thinks of as a father; who then just yells at her!"

"Do you know what she's done? She's put the whole complex at risk just so she could play time traveler, just like her grandfather!"

"That was not what she was doing! She was saving his life!"

"Sam doesn't need help from her, he can take care of himself! He's been doing it for 16 years!" Al yelled.

"Excuse me Admiral," Ziggy interrupted, "But technically, you and I have always been there to help him along. Not to mention that on this particular leap, there were very low odds that he would have survived without any drastic interference."

"Can it Ziggy! I did not ask for your input! If we didn't need you for keeping this whole project running, I would power you down right this second!"

"As you clearly stated, you can not 'power me down' without destroying the whole project; so your threat is invalid. Now if I may: Dr Fuller, Miss Jackson requested that I play a video for you within the hour of her leaping. Shall I play it now?"

Sammy Jo speechlessly looked at Al. He shrugged, before nodding, "Yes, go ahead."

"Very well, please look at the screen." Ziggy said as the lights dimmed.

Within a few seconds, Laura's smiling face appeared on the giant screen. She waved before saying, _"Hey mom! If you're watching this, that means that I've leaped. In that case, Uncle Al is there too. Hi Uncle Al! All y'all are probably pissed as hell at me right now, and you have every right to be. I don't know how much I'll be able to explain to you before I leap, so I'm just gonna give you the cliff notes version now."_

She took a deep breath before continuing, _"Basically, I've known that I was going to leap since I was 10, when I overheard a certain conversation that told me that Dr. Beckett is my grandfather. I mean, once I thought about it, it was pretty obvious. I share a lot of the same traits as him: kid genius, music prodigy, book worm, eidetic memory, and even have similar facial structures. Everything that I've done these last 11 years has been in preparation for leaping. I mean I've tried, I really have tried to fix the retrieval system, but it's just not meant to be. Hopefully Dr. Beckett can figure it out, it is his project after all._

_"Speaking of Dr. Beckett: whatever you do, don't let him leap back for me, he's needed at the project. But not until he takes a well deserved week off, at the very least, to visit his family. I'm willing to wait the weeks, months, even years for y'all to figure out a way to bring me home. I know that you will always have my back Uncle Al, but please let someone else take over for you. Dr. Beckett and any one of your daughters can do it for you. Which reminds me, you probably already found this out, but I've tweaked a few programs and added some new ones. If my calculations are correct, I should have leapt with no memory problems. My brain wave scans are already in the system so you can get a better connection. You just need to access it with the code badwolf05. I know, me and my Doctor Who obsession, but I had to pick something that wouldn't get typed in accidentally."_

Sammy Jo laughed at this and Al looked over to see that she was silently crying. Placing an arm around her shoulders, he turned back to the screen.

_"Right, I think I've wasted enough of your time with this; I know that I have to get ready for dinner with the Calavicci girls. Just, know that I love you mom. I trust that you and everyone else at PQL are looking out for me. Who knows, maybe I'll run into dad on one of my leaps and show him what a lovely young women I've become."_ Laura sniffled as she laughed, _"Look at me, I haven't even leaped yet and I'm already crying. Well, bye mom, Uncle Al. I'll see y'all later."_

The screen paused on Laura's smiling face before it turned black. Sammy Jo started crying harder, so Al pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, "It's okay, everything's going to be fine. You'll see, with Sam back, Laura will be home within the month."

She laughed, "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I'm right; I'm always right. Now, do I need to call Bena down, or are you okay?"

"Doctors Beeks and Martinez are already on their way." Ziggy chimed in. "I assumed that Doctor Fuller could use a break and some, as humans call it, emotional support."

"Thanks Ziggy," Sammy Jo smiled as she straightened up before turning back to Al. "Shouldn't you be going up to see Sam?"

Al sighed as he looked at his watch, "Ziggy, can I get an update on Sam?"

"Doctor Becket is currently sleeping while Doctors Elesee-Beckett and Calavicci keep watch. I do not expect him to be awake again for another couple of hours."

He nodded as he rubbed his face. "Thanks Ziggy."

"But Miss Jackson is still awake."

"Yeah, okay. Prep the Imaging Chamber."

"Already ahead of you, Admiral." Ziggy replied sweetly as she opened the door.

Al was halfway up the ramp when Sammy Jo called, "Hey Al?"

He turned around and noticed that her tears had stopped, "Yeah?"

"Please go easy on her. She's got a long and hard road ahead of her. She needs to be able to trust you completely and not worry about when you're going to blow up at her next."

Feeling properly chastised, Al nodded, "Got it."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! I just wanted to say that I really love writing the dialogue between Al and Ziggy.

That is all, for now :)

Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 4

A few minutes after Al left, Laura noticed that she was really cold. Looking around the moonlit cave, she found piles of leaves and pine needles. Since she only had on a long-sleeved plaid shirt, undershirt, and ripped jeans, she shoved some leaves into her sleeves and pant legs. Curling into a tight ball, she piled the rest of the foliage all around herself. Facing the entrance, she waited patiently for Al to return.

It did not take long, maybe 10 minutes, before she heard the sound of the imaging chamber door open and Al slowly came into view. She was pleased to find that his image looked pretty solid, which meant they had seen her video message. Trying to curl up tighter, Laura quietly watched as Al pressed some buttons on the handlink before coming closer and sitting down.

Taking a deep breath, he finally said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I should have just listened to what you had to say before jumping to conclusions and letting my emotions get in the way. I would never be mad at you, just at the situation. Nobody should be stuck in time, especially not such a lovely and brilliant young lady like yourself."

Laura smiled, "Thanks Uncle Al. And I really was just thinking about Dr. Beckett and his family and how he might be the only one able to fix the retrieval program." She took a deep breath. "How is he?"

"Okay, I guess. Ziggy is not telling me much besides that he's sleeping. Don't worry; Beth and Trudy are going to take good care of him." Seeing her nod, Al looked back at the handlink. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I should probably tell you about this leap. It's October 4th, 1996 and you're in Wood-Tikchik State Park, Alaska. Your name is Joe Swanson, 27 years old from Seattle, Washington and had a nasty run in with some mobsters that you owed money. Since you couldn't pay, they kidnapped you, beat you up, and dropped you out of a plane over this lovely state park, miles away from civilization. In the original history, Joe just disappeared one day and his body wasn't found until about 10 years later. Sam managed to get a few miles closer to people but with a twisted knee and pneumonia setting in, he had a very small chance of making it all the way." Al shook his head.

"What about me? What are my odds? Because I don't have a hurt knee or pneumonia."

"Well, Ziggy says that you have a 70% chance of making it. It should take about two and a half days to get there, assuming that nothing happens. You just have to take it slow and conserve as much body heat as possible. You should be able to build a fire every night, assuming you can find some dry wood in all this snow."

"And you'll be here, helping me?"

"Yeah, for the most part. I won't be able to stay in the imaging chamber with you all day, but I'll do my best."

"Well, if my calculations are correct, any one of your daughters should be able to take over. You just need to add their DNA and brain scans into the system using the code that I already provided you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Laura smirked. "I told you, I've been working on this for over a decade."

"Huh, okay. I'll get Tina and Sammy Jo to look into it. Trudy's busy with taking care of Sam and the rest are at school, but that's good to know. In the mean time, you need to sleep. You've got a long couple of days ahead of you."

"Thanks Uncle Al."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Al was about to stand up when Laura called, "Hey Uncle Al?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you," She looked down shyly and played with the cuffs of her shirt. "Do you think that you can sing to me?"

"Sure." Al smiled as he sat down and got comfortable. "Why are there so many, songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side…."

* * *

After making sure that Laura was asleep, Al left the imagining chamber and found only Tina in the control room. "Where's Sammy Jo?" Al asked as he gave Tina the handlink.

"Ah, well when I got here, you had already been in the imagining chamber for a few minutes. Sammy asked if I could handle things by myself and I said of course. Then she just left. Beeks followed her, but it didn't look like Sammy was in the mood for talkin'."

"Thanks Tina." Rubbing his face, Al looked at his watch and sighed. It was after midnight, which meant that he had been up for almost 24 hours. Looking at Tina, he could tell that she was equally tired. "Tina, I think that we're done for the night. Get a lab tech in here and then go get some sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks Al!" Tina smiled sweetly as she started shutting down a few non-essential programs.

Walking into the hallway, Al asked, "Ziggy, where's Sammy Jo?"

"Dr Fuller is in the observation deck of the waiting room."

"Is Bena still with her?"

"No. Dr Beeks is currently in her office. Dr. Fuller, as you say, blew her off? Dr Beeks expressed her worry, but she did leave."

"Were you eavesdropping on their conversation?"

"I do not 'eavesdrop.' It is not my fault that my sensors pick up every conversation that happens within a 5 mile radius of the project."

Al shook his head as he headed up the stairs to the observation deck. "5 mile radius? Why do you need to know that much?"

"In case there are people planning on entering the project without permission, of course."

"Of course." Al rolled his eyes. "Just be sure to delete anything that involves my wife and me in bed."

"If you wish. Shall I also delete some of the records from when you and Dr Calavicci are alone in the infirmary and your office?"

"What?!" Al almost tripped up the stairs in disbelief. "Yes! You should not be keeping records of what people are doing when they are alone! That goes for everyone else here at the project."

"Very well. But how else am I supposed to learn more about the ways human interact if I ca not analyze them when they are at their most vulnerable, intimate, and honest?"

Al sighed as he reached the door. "Just…keep the records extremely hidden and if someone does manage to hack into your systems, make sure the records are deleted as soon as possible."

"Of course Admiral."

Shaking his head, Al opened the door and stepped inside. Sammy Jo was at the window, looking down at the visitor, who was still sedated. Standing next to her, Al looked down and saw the bruised and beaten face of the visitor. Glancing at Sammy Jo, he asked, "So, who do you see? The leaper or the visitor; if you don't mind me asking."

Sammy Jo shrugged, "I kind of see a mix of the two. But if I concentrate hard enough and long enough, one stands out more than the other."

"I'm guessing you're looking at Laura then?"

"Yeah. She hates it when I watch her sleep. Says I wake her up every time. No matter how sneaky I am, she always knows."

"I guess I should be careful since I have a habit of watching Sam sleep. He finds it annoying too but he's only caught me about a third of the time."

Smiling slightly, Sammy Jo finally looked at Al. "Have you seen him yet?"

"Not since he first got back. I'm about to head over there if you would like to join me."

"Oh no, I don't think I should."

"Why not? You're family too and I bet Sam will be eager to see you."

She shook her head and looked out the window again. "I can't. Not right now at least. I'm still trying to get over the shock that Laura has been planning this for over a decade. I never knew and didn't see any clues."

"Hey, she managed to keep it a secret from everybody, except Ziggy. Probably only because she needed Ziggy's help."

"I will have you know that I had a suspicion of what she was thinking well before she actually came to me." Ziggy inputted.

"You should have told us when you suspected something!" Al growled.

"I'm sorry, Admiral, but I saw no harm in her wanting to know more about the project at the time. And when she proposed to either fix the retrieval program or leap so Doctor Beckett could fix it, I thought that it was a good idea."

"If you were a naval employee instead of a glorified computer, you would be facing a court martial right about now."

"Why do you keep giving me empty threats? I do not believe that they help in any way, except to make you feel like you have more control over me than you actually do."

Al growled as Sammy Jo snickered, "She's got you there, Al."

"I know." Al sighed as he looked at Sammy Jo. "Are you going to be okay?"

She shrugged, "I honestly don't know. There's nothing much I can do but try to help keep her safe. And until she comes back home, I don't think I will ever be okay."

He nodded and patted her shoulder. "Alright. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks Al."

Al smiled as he turned to leave. Once he was down the steps, he sighed, "I'm getting too old for all of these surprises."

"Life is full of surprises, Admiral."

"Can it, Ziggy," He growled.

"I still do not understand that phrase. What exactly am I suppose to 'can'?"

"It's just an expression."

"Why can't humans just say what they mean?"

"Fine. Please keep your comments to a minimum."

"Very well Admiral."

Al grumbled as he made his way to the elevator.

"Admiral, you should really be watching your blood pressure."

"Then I'll start by taking out your voice box."

"That is a useless endeavor since I do not have an actual 'voice box' and my vocal components are essential to keeping the project flowing as smoothly as it does."

"Just shut up Ziggy!" Al groaned as the elevator doors opened for him.

"I have nothing to 'shut', Admiral. And if I did, do I need to elaborate on why my voice components are essential?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! Sorry for taking so long but life is annoying and hectic.

Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER 5

When the elevator doors opened to the infirmary, Al was surprised to see his wife waiting for him. With a frown, he asked, "Beth, what's wrong?"

"Al, honey. I need to talk to you." She gently took his arm and led him to her office.

"Is it Sam? Is he alright?"

"Yes and No."

"What does that mean? Ziggy said he was sleeping!"

"Basically, he is."

"Beth!" Al pleaded as he held the door open for her.

"Al, you need to sit. You've been awake for 24 hours; you are not as young as you used to be."

"I'm as fit as I ever was."

"I beg to differ, as humans say." Ziggy interrupted.

"Ziggy!" Al growled.

"Al. Please sit." Beth said calmly.

Seeing the quiet desperation on her face, Al nodded and quickly sat on the couch. "What's wrong?"

Beth sat next to him and held his hands. "Al, Sam is in a coma."

Al just stared at her few a seconds as he tried to process it. "What?"

"All his vital signs are normal and it looks like he is asleep. But we can not wake him up."

"Just let me in there, I'll wake him up." Al started to stand, only for Beth to pull him back down.

"I think we should let him sleep. This might be his first real, deep sleep in many years. Also, his brain activity is on the high side so we did a CAT scan. It showed that there is more than normal activity in the memory section. We are theorizing that his brain is taking this time to sort through all the different timelines and put things in order. When he wakes up, he might have memories of only this current timeline; or he could also have memories of the original timeline."

Al nodded. He mostly had memories of the current timeline but he still had memories from various other timelines. "Is it alright that I go sit with him?"

"Yes, just try not to wake him. We don't want to force him. But if he does wake up, be gentle."

"Got it." Al stood up and pulled Beth up into a hug. "Thank you honey. For everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I think you would be fine." She hugged him back and kissed his cheek. "Go be with your best friend. You both deserve it."

"Yes Ma'am." Al smiled as he pulled back. Straightening his shoulders, he walked into the infirmary.

The scene that greeted Al was one that he had seen many times before. Various tubes and wires running between Sam's body and the machines, including an IV that Al didn't even have to ask what the drugs were or for. The only differences were that it was Sam's name on all the labels and Al was physically in the room, not a holographic image.

With a deep breath, Al walked over and sat in the chair next to the bed. After a few seconds hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Sam's hand. It was slightly cold but it was real and Al could not stop the tears that started to fall.

"You're back, Sammy Boy. It's been far too long and there's so much that you need to be brought up to speed on, but it can all wait. You just rest and I'll fill you in later. We've got it all covered and Laura is a very bright kid, maybe even smarter than you. I have faith that she will get through this leap, and hopefully she'll be home soon. So just rest and don't worry, kiddo. I'm so glad you're back."

Wiping some tears away, he leaned back and listened to the various machines. Al thought he felt a slight pressure on his hand, but Sam remained asleep. With a sigh, Al closed his eyes and said a quick prayer for Sam, Laura, and the whole project. 

* * *

"Al? Al honey. It's time to wake up."

Al rolled his neck as he slowly woke up. Beth was leaning over him with a hand on his arm while Al's hand was still holding onto Sam's hand. "How long was I out?" Al croaked as he rubbed his eyes.

"About 5 hours. I would let you sleep longer, but Ziggy says that you should visit Laura in an hour, and you really need a shower."

Al laughed as he slowly stood up, "Aye, aye Doctor. I'm assuming that you have some food waiting for me?"

Beth smiled, "Of course. Here is your coffee. Donna should be here any minute to keep Sam company."

"Thanks sweetie." Al gave her a kiss on the cheek before taking the coffee and heading for the door. He paused in the doorway to take one more look at Sam.

Beth smiled. "He'll be fine. He's not going anywhere for awhile."

"I know." Al smiled before making his way to their quarters. 

* * *

"Laura. Laura? It's time to wake up, sweetie." Al called as he walked through the Imaging Chamber door.

"No, it's too cold." Laura grumbled as she pulled tighter into a ball.

"Sorry kid, but it's not gonna get much warmer. We got a lot of land to cover and only about 11 hours of daylight, so you should start now."

"Fine!" She sighed as she slowly sat up, being careful not to bang her head this time. There was a small amount of light entering the cave and Al was kneeling near the entrance in bright yellow clothes. She blinked her eyes and asked, "What time is it? And what are you wearing?"

"It's about 9am, a little after dawn."

"Dawn is 9am?"

"This is Alaska so their days get really short. On Dec 21st, this area only gets about 5 hours of daylight. And to answer your other question, I picked these colors so that you can see me better through the snow."

"Okay. I'm guessing that there isn't anything to eat, huh?" She said as she started pulling the leaves and pine needles out of her clothes.

"Not unless you feel like hunting a squirrel or bird with your bare hands."

"No thanks."

"And you should keep some of the foliage to stay warmer."

"Fine." Laura sighed as she stuffed it back in, making sure that her shirt ends and pant cuffs were tucked in. "But for the record, this stuff is very itchy."

"Better to be itchy than freeze to death." Al said as he stood up and waited outside the cave for her. "Oh, you might want to grab some of those dried twigs so you can build a fire tonight."

"Okay." She shoved some twigs and leaves in her pocket before making her way outside.

At first, all Laura could see was white everywhere until her eyes adjusted to the light. They seemed to be on the edge of a valley with a slightly frozen stream running through the middle. Where the stream was the widest, a family of caribou was drinking from the cold waters. Laura was transfixed, until the handlink beeped and the caribou ran off.

"Sorry about that, but Ziggy says that we need to get going." Al smiled sympathetically.

Laura nodded as she looked around her. The cave was about 20 feet up the side of a mountain and the path down looked rough and dangerous. "How did Dr. Beckett manage to get up here?"

"Very slowly," Al commented as he led the way down.

- 


	6. Chapter 6

_**CHAPTER 6**_

An hour later, Laura was dodging low tree branches and sidestepping rocks with her hands in her armpits to try to keep warm. With a sigh, she asked Al, "Are we lost? Because I feel like we're going around in circles."

"Ziggy is the one giving us directions and I'm having Tina and Sammy Jo double checking every turn." Ziggy was re-centering Al every 10 feet so that he would not have to walk the whole time. He even had a bar stool to sit on, which Laura was jealous of.

"I guess the snow makes everything look the same." After a few more minutes of quiet, Laura asked, "Hey Uncle Al?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

Al frowned as Laura walked past him. When Ziggy re-center him again, he asked, "About what?"

Laura shrugged, "I don't know, anything. We need something to past the time. How about some of Dr. Beckett's leaps? Ziggy only let me see the summary of leaps; and she still kept some from me."

"Okay, sure. Let's see…how about the time Sam first leaped into a woman."

Laura smiled, "Oh, I would have loved to have seen his face!"

"It was priceless! Although back then, during the first couple years of leaping, we didn't have everything figured out yet, so I would see Sam and the leapee at the same time; talk about a headache! And she was a pretty young girl, just about your age, with a nice collection of dresses that didn't look so nice on Sam."

Laura laughed at that as she continued walking. "I bet he had a hard time in heels."

"Oh yes, he even went out and bought the poor dear some tennis shoes for off work hours!"

Al was in the middle of telling Laura about the time he and Sam switched places when the handlink beeped. Al sighed and asked, "Yes Ziggy?"

"Doctor Calavicci has asked me to remind you that you promised to take a 30 minute break every 3 hours and it has been 3 hours, 12 minutes, and 37 seconds since you first entered the imaging chamber this morning."

Al shook his head as he looked at Laura. "I gotta take a break. Why don't you sit over there on that rock? You'll be in the sun but the trees behind you will block the wind."

"Okay Uncle Al. Oh, before you go. Is it okay if I get a drink of water from the stream?"

"Yeah, just make sure you drink from a spot that's in the sun and don't drink too much. It will lower your body temperature even more and give you the cramps."

"Good to know." Laura nodded as she made her way over to the stream that they kept in sight.

* * *

Al rubbed his eyes as he exited the imaging chamber. The sun hitting the snow was so bright compared to the much darker control room. "Why is the control room so dark anyways?"

"Some of my equipment is sensitive to high levels of light." Ziggy replied.

"Then we need to figure out a better way to adjust to the difference in lighting." Al said as he crossed the control room and gave Tina the handlink. "How's Sam?"

Tina smiled sadly at him. "Still sleeping."

"You mean still in a coma?"

"Yep."

Al sighed, "Okay. I'll visit him on my next break. Ziggy, Tell Beth that I'll be in the cafeteria, taking an early lunch, if she would like to join me."

"Wouldn't it be better to have her meet you in your apartment?" Ziggy asked.

Al glared at Ziggy's globe and growled. "Mind your own business, Ziggy!"

"The project and everything that happens in and around the project is my business."

"Then be a little more discreet about things."

"I thought I was being discreet since I did not mention what activity you and your wife like to do in your free time."

Al flumed as Tina giggled, "Oh, Ziggy! Leave Al alone!"

"As you wish, Dr Martinez. Although you were never shy about talking about the activities you and the late Gushie got up to."

Al shook his head, "You really need to learn that some things are not to be discussed in front of others, Ziggy."

"It's okay, Al." Tina smiled. "Like Ziggy said, I'm not shy about anything. And it's been 5 years, we can talk about Gushie without being sad. He would have been very embarrassed to hear that he can still make us sad. He embraced death as the next great adventure."

"He was a braver man than I could ever be." Al smiled and looked at his watch. "I should get going, I don't want Laura to be stuck out there by herself for too long."

"Okay. Have a good lunch." Tina replied as she popped her gum and got back to work.

* * *

Al was barely in the cafeteria for 10 minutes when Beth joined him. "Hey Beth."

"Hi honey." She kissed him before sitting next to him. She tapped her hands on the table.

"What's wrong?" Al asked.

Beth sighed, "I could never keep anything from you."

"Only because I can read you easily. It's Sam, isn't it? What happened?"

"Nothing. It's actually Donna that I'm worried about."

Al frowned, "Why? Isn't she happy that Sam is back?"

"She is, but a lot has changed in 15 years. They have a 9 year old son that Sam knows nothing about! How would you have felt when you came back from Vietnam to discover that you had a kid you knew nothing about?"

"Happy, for one." He pushed his food around as he thought. "But then I guess a bit disappointed and guilty that the kid had to go so long without knowing his father. Nervous that the kid wouldn't like me or would want nothing to do with me. Scared that I would screw up or wouldn't be able to connect with them. Angry that I wasn't told sooner."

"Exactly. Donna has to figure out when and how to tell Sam about Johnny. And it isn't long before she needs to tell Johnny that his father is back."

"No one's told him yet?"

"Al, he's on a camping trip this weekend with his scout troop, remember? He'll be back tomorrow."

Al nodded, "Right. He asked me to go but I couldn't."

Beth placed her hand on Al's arm. "Everything's going to be fine."

"It won't be fine until we have everyone home and no more leapers."

She smiled, "I couldn't agree more."


	7. Chapter 7

_**CHAPTER 7**_

Over the course of the day, Al told Laura about various leaps and adventures he and Sam had. Laura would laugh and ask a few questions, but mostly just let Al talk. While Al took his 30 minute breaks, Laura would take a break as well. Al would eat some food, check in on Sam, and ask if there were any pressing issues. Dr Beeks said that the visitor seemed to be doing okay besides avoiding the mirror more than usual. Tina and Sammy Jo would trade off who was in the control room, although Al had yet to see Sammy Jo.

It was about an hour before dusk when Al let Laura take a break while he scouted out a good campsite. After about 15 minutes, he reappeared, "Okay, there are a couple downed trees about a mile thataway which would make a good shelter once you add some branches to cover the openings. We also need to find more dried wood so your fire doesn't burn out right away."

Laura nodded and shivered, "H-how am I-I-I going to s-start a fire? M-my hands are fr-freezing and I don't have any matches."

"Don't worry; I've done this several times with Sam. If I concentrate a beam of light from the handlink through glass, like the pair of broken glasses in your pocket, over the kindling, we'll be able to start a fire."

"It works?"

"Yep, with a 92.3% rate of success. You just gotta make sure that the leaves and wood are dry because we'll only have enough power for 15 seconds. After that, we'll have to shut down areas of the project or black out the nearest city."

Laura nodded as she stood. "O-okay. L-lead on."

"Great. Just this way."

* * *

Laura finished setting up her shelter and starting the fire just before dusk came. She held her hands over the fire and tried to think warm thoughts.

Al paced back and forth as Ziggy gave him the weather forecast. "Now that the fire is started, you need to build it up a bit and get as close to it as you can to warm up. And not just your hands. We need to raise your core body temperature."

"I-I know. I've t-taken plenty of wil-wilderness survival c-classes to last a lif-lifetime. Although I g-guess I'll be living qu-quite a few lifetimes n-now."

"Just hurry up."

Laura laughed shakily as she built up the fire. "W-where's your sense, sense of humor?"

"I must have left it with Sam." Al said as he hit the handlink.

Laura frowned and looked at the fire. "What if I n-never get back?"

"You should have thought of that before you leaped."

She shook her head. "I-I don't regret l-leaping. I think it, it's a wonderful opportunity; a very u-unique way to travel. P-plus it sent Dr Beckett h-home. B-but the thing is, I'm o-only 21. I h-haven't really experienced m-much of life outside the proj-project. I never exper-per-perienced true love or had a first kiss. Now I have t-to bluff my way through other p-people's relationships."

"What about, oh what was his name, Greg? I thought you dated him for a few months?"

"You mean Cr-craig?" Laura laughed. "Nah, I was using him for s-s-sex."

"W-what?!" Al sputtered. "You were 18!"

"Yeah, and a v-virgin. But I knew I had to have sex and get com-comfortable with it if I was going to leap into others and o-o-occasionally be expected to do…it."

Al just gaped at her for a few seconds before asking, "What about Craig? Did he know you were using him?"

"Oh yeah. He was g-gay but hadn't told anyone besides me yet. We b-both wanted to experiment and thought that it was a good, good idea. His parents got off his b-back for awhile about why he wasn't dating anyone."

"Does your mother know?"

"Hell no, Uncle Al! She w-would kill me!"

"Well, did you at least, you know…use protection?"

"Yeah. Condom, b-birth control, the whole shebang. Even got test-tested before and after. We're both clean."

"Good." Al rubbed his face. "I can't believe you did that, of all people! And to think that you're related to Sam! The ultimate boy scout."

She glared at the fire, barely concealing the annoyance in her voice "It's n-not fair to compare me to him. We have, have totally different backgrounds. Plus he was in his 40's when he f-first leaped, so had many more l-life experiences. I had to cram as much as I c-c-could in such a short amount of time."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Al coughed, breaking the silence. "You should add more wood."

"Okay." Laura nodded as she pulled some wood closer.

"And I want you to try to stay awake for awhile."

She groaned, "But Uncle Al! I'm s-so tired! Can't I just go, go to sleep?"

"Only if you want to roll into the fire and burn to death."

"At least I'll b-be warm before I died." She mumbled.

"Just try to stay awake, smartass. You know, this reminds of the one time Sam-"

"Please, no m-more stories tonight."

"Why? I thought you enjoyed my stories?"

"I do, I'm just a bit, bit b-bored of them right now. H-how's Sam?"

Al sighed, "Still asleep."

"You mean a coma?"

"I didn't say that."

"Uncle Al, I'm n-not stupid. I know that if a p-person has been asleep for, what? Almost a day? It means that the doctors were unable to wake, wake him; therefore he's in a coma."

Al laughed and shook his head, "I almost forgot how smart you are."

"Yeah, it's not j-just my mouth that's smart."

"Anyways, Ziggy said that it should be clear tonight but the temperature is going to dip below freezing. So make sure you are well insulated."

"Thanks." She smiled at him before looking back at the fire. "I love you, Uncle Al."

"Ditto, kid."


End file.
